How Bruce Willis boosted Shyamalan making The Sixth Sense

M. Night Shyamalan says Bruce Willis gave him an extra boost of confidence on The Sixth Sense, his breakout 1999 film.

Before he became Hollywood’s latest wunderkind with The Sixth Sense, M. Night Shyamalan had a lot to prove. Remember, prior to breaking out with that 1999 film, he was making indies and clashing with Harvey Weinstein, the now-disgraced mega-producer only releasing Wide Awake (shot in 1995) after the spec script for The Sixth Sense sold for a reported $3 million. Fortunately, he had Bruce Willis by his side, the actor finding Shyamalan to be one of the most promising talents he had ever seen.

M. Night Shyamalan recounted one story of confidence he received from Bruce Willis while making The Sixth Sense, likening him to another recent up-and-comer. As the story goes, one day Willis summoned him to his trailer. “I go up, and I knock on the door, and the door opens. I go, ‘Hey, did you want to say something?’ and he goes, ‘I’ve only felt this once before. I felt it on Pulp Fiction, and I just felt it now.’ And then he goes, ‘You’ve got it, kid.’ So I said, ‘Oh, thanks!’ He closed the door, and I literally skipped down the sidewalk. But that’s who he was. He would test you, and basically say, ‘Do you believe in yourself? Because I don’t think you do.’ And if it works, it works. If it doesn’t work, you’re dead. And it worked!”

Nabbing Bruce Willis for The Sixth Sense was obviously a huge get for Shyamalan. But this only came about because of a movie called Broadway Brawler, which you’ve probably never heard of because it remains unfinished. Such a tumultuous shoot it was that Disney shut it down and threatened to sue Willis. Instead, a contract was worked out that would force him into a three-picture deal with the studio; hence, The Sixth Sense. And yes, this is also why he got dragged into The Kid.

Even still, he was Bruce Willis, which can be an intimidating thing, whether for a young director or a seasoned vet. But Shyamalan still had a job to do: direct. And so he did, moving forward even knowing Willis’ sometimes tough reputation. “There was a slightly tense moment in the last thing we were shooting on that Friday where [Bruce] did a line and I had a note. You never know when that moment happens, when you make or break your career, when you become who you’re going to become. I was like, 26 or 27. He gave me the ice look: ‘I think we got it.’ And I went over to him. He was ice. And I whispered in his ear the note. I said, ‘I want you to der-der-der-der’. He kind of looked at me, and I quickly go, ‘Alright, roll sound. Here we go!’ I didn’t even give him a conversation.”

The Sixth Sense would go on to nab an appropriate six Oscar nominations, including Best Director for Shyamalan, making him one of the youngest for the category. Haley Joel Osment would also be one of the youngest nominees in his category, Best Supporting Actor.